PROPOSALS FROM COFFEE COOPERATIVE UNIONS TO IMPLEMENT DIRECT ACTION PROGRAMMES ON CHILD LABOUR PREVENTION IN KISII, KERICHO, NYERI AND MERU COUNTIES

Child labour continues to be a pervasive global challenge. According to the latest joint estimates released by the International Labour Organization (ILO) and UNICEF, approximately 138 million children were engaged in child labour in 2024, including around 54 million in hazardous work that jeopardizes their health, safety, and development. Despite this representing a reduction of over 20 million children since 2020, the world has missed the target of eliminating child labour by 2025. Sub-Saharan Africa remains the region most affected, accounting for nearly two-thirds of children in child labour globally. Agriculture continues to be the dominant sector for child labour, underscoring the ongoing challenges in rural economies and the urgent need for sustained action to safeguard children’s rights and futures.
Child labour robs children of their fundamental rights, including access to education, healthcare, and opportunities for personal growth. It often exposes children to hazardous and exploitative conditions, causing long-term physical, psychological, and social harm. Beyond its impact on children, child labour also presents human rights, legal, and reputational risks for businesses and is a major concern for governments, consumers, and international markets.
Eliminating child labour requires more than workplace monitoring. Addressing its root causes particularly in the lower tiers of supply chains demands coordinated, well-resourced, and sustainable interventions. Evidence from the International Labour Organization (ILO) shows that effective elimination depends on strong public policies, inclusive economic systems, and community-level action that tackles poverty, vulnerability, weak labour protections, and limited access to social services.
To respond to these challenges, the ILO launched the ACCEL Africa Project, which accelerates the elimination of child labour through targeted interventions in priority supply chains. The project adopts a systems-based approach, moving beyond isolated actions to strengthen the institutional, social, and economic structures that address the root causes of child labour. ACCEL Africa is aligned with the ILO’s 8.7 Accelerator Lab, which promotes innovative and scalable solutions to eradicate child and forced labour.
Building on successful interventions in supply chains such as cocoa, gold, cotton, tea, and coffee across countries including Côte d’Ivoire, Egypt, Mali, Malawi, Nigeria, and Uganda, Phase II of ACCEL Africa, launched in June 2023, focuses on consolidating gains and institutionalising best practices. This phase targets supply chains in Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana, Kenya, Mali, Nigeria, and Uganda, including cocoa, coffee, cotton, gold, and tea.

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